


If I Only Had The Nerve

by LadyAmalthea



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Anal Sex, Cole is Alive AU, Community Theatre, Connor has a heart condition, Eventual Smut, F/M, Getting Together, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), M/M, Wizard of Oz References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:34:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23042590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyAmalthea/pseuds/LadyAmalthea
Summary: Hank and Cole audition for a local production of The Wizard of Oz, and it's going to take every ounce of his courage to play The Cowardly Lion... not to mention the enormous crush he gets at the auditions.
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Comments: 6
Kudos: 87





	If I Only Had The Nerve

**Author's Note:**

> There's some GORGEOUS fanart to accompany this fic, drawn by VulcanSketch and was Commissions by the amazing DyingNoyses!
> 
> https://twitter.com/DyingNoyses/status/1146866021380382720?s=20
> 
> This was originally posted almost a year ago, so I'm very excited to finally be posting it here!
> 
> Original thread here: https://twitter.com/canticumexvacui/status/1122313413332537345?s=20

Hank had been separated from his wife for years, but she moved abroad after he was given majority custody of Cole. This is mainly because... it was revealed in court that she had an old arrest for assault that Hank didn't know about. 

He doesn't tell Cole, who is already 9 and having a hard time adjusting. But, to soften the blow, a pretty good administrative job on the precinct office opens up that Hank is immediately recommended for. He starts the job just before Cole's spring break, and they spend a whole week together. Mini golf, watching movies on a rainy day.

As the week goes on, Hank realizes he will have more free time and flexibility. Maybe he can sign Cole up for an extra-curricular? Now that he can drive him after school? One night, out of curiosity, he searches for some local arts organizations, and finds that a small theater group called Jericho Players has auditions that weekend for 'Wizard of Oz'.

They are looking for kids, and the place where they hold rehearsals isn't too far from their house.

He did a little bit of theatre as a kid; he had way too much energy and his mother needed somewhere to send him during the summer, so him and his older sister got signed up for an acting camp. He even did a play on college; it was just a student project, but he still remembered enjoying it.

So, after a full breakfast and a lazy morning, they drive over to the small theater in the early afternoon for the audition. There are several dozen cars already in the lot, and he can see how nervous Cole is.

"It'll be okay, bud," he messes his hair before giving him a big kiss on his head. "You're great, ya know that?"

"You're just sayin' that cuz you're my dad," Cole huffs.

"No, I'm telling ya  _ because _ I'm your dad, your biggest fan, and…. And even if you don't get cast on this one, there are lots of other things to try out, ok? This isn't the end-game here." He smiles, and his son smiles back. "Now, wanna practice your song in the car once more?"

He doesn't need to sing very much for a solo, just the first verse and chorus of a song of his choice. He of course picks 'Where the Lost Things Go" from the new Mary Poppins movie, which is perfectly in his range (and Hank couldn't get him to stop singing it when the movie came out.) 

After one last practice, they head inside. There are quite a few people present, some already practicing bits of the script.

There is a table labeled "check-in", and Hank loses his breath when they step closer, and the person sitting there looks up at them.

A young man, wavy brown hair and thick-framed glasses, smiles at them. "Hello! Welcome to Jericho! It's so nice to see some new faces."

"I wanna audition, please!" Cole's previous nerves are all forgotten, and somehow, now it's Hank who is feeling an anxious pit in his stomach… but for different reasons.

"Here are some forms for each of you to fill out, and-"

"Uhh…" Hank finally speaks up. "It's just him, he's… I'm not auditioning, I'm j-just-" He stutters with uncertainty, "I'm just here as the parent, ya know?"

That gentle smile, the one making his heart jump out if his fucking ribcage, just widens. "We are really looking for some parents to participate, too, to help keep an eye on all the munchkins. There are plenty of ensemble roles, but…" he tucks his hair away, shyly turning for a moment when Hank just stares dumbly. "You don't have to, though."

"My dad has done theatre before!" Cole bursts, and Hank can't hold himself back from slapping his palm over his eyes. "I've heard you sing in the shower and the car, you're not  _ that _ bad!"

Hank peaks through his fingers to see Cole, smiling and hopeful. He is a weak man.

"Okay, two forms, but I uh… I don't have any sheet music for myself."

The young man at the table pulls a canvas bag onto his lap, and of course, there is an assortment of songbooks. "My brother is the accompanist, so we usually come pretty prepared. Please," he holds the bag open. "Help yourself!"

Where to even  _ begin _ … there are musicals in here that Hank has barely even heard of, but thankfully there are a few he actually knows front to back. He slips one out, "Thanks," he mumbles as he tucks it under his arm.

They are handed two forms, some script printouts, and a pen. "I just need your names on the sign-in sheet, and we will collect your forms when you go up to sing." 

“G-great, thanks.” Hank hurried the two of them to a pair of open metal folding chairs, just beside a young couple with a daughter just about Cole’s age. It was a little relieving to see that they had their own audition forms, too.   
  
Cole was squirming in his chair, his feet a little ways off the ground so he swung them wildly to let out some energy. There was apparently a short dance portion to the audition too, maybe that would help?

When the murmuring had reached a head, a man with a very leaderly posture stood before the group of chairs. “If I could get everyone’s attention… thank you.” After a moment, Hank noticed there was something asymmetrical about it, stunned to realize that his eyes were two different colors. Pretty rare thing, he hadn’t seen it in person like that.

“We’ll have everyone come up to do their singing excerpt in order of arrival,” he said, and Hank silently thanked God for that. “And we’ll be taking folks in groups to one of the rehearsal rooms for the dancing. But before we get started… my name is Markus, and I’ll be co-directing the production along with our music director, Niles.”

The man at the upright piano gave a wave, face a little stern, and then his eyes scrolled down to the sign-in clipboard. “Can I have… North, first?”

A perky redhead got up from her seat in the front row, and the pianist played a little fanfare for her… must be a regular with the group, Hank wondered.

They seemed to go through a lot of their “usual” players first, because after about a dozen, “Connor” was called up, and it was the same brunet that had signed them in. He stuck his tongue out at his brother as he handed over the form and quietly told him which song he was doing before stepping forward.

Hank held his breath as the opening measures played. Now, he wouldn’t claim to be the most familiar with musical theatre, but his mom was obsessed with Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, so when the young man started to sing “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful”, his mouth dropped open.

It also didn’t help that those big, brown eyes looked his way once or twice while he was singing. Hank knew he was in trouble.

There was a fair amount of applause when he finished, and he bowed his head and returned to his seat toward the back of the hall. Other assorted folks were slowly called up, including the mom and the daughter next to them. (The large man sitting with them, who said he was the woman’s boyfriend, said he didn’t like being on stage.)   
  
The girl, Alice, did a pretty good version of “Castle on a Cloud” from Les Mis, though the higher notes were giving her trouble in her nervousness. Then her mother, Kara, did something fairly easy: “Matchmaker”, and nervously insisted afterward that she “wasn’t much of a singer”. 

After that, thankfully, was Cole. The moment his name was called, he dashed up with his songbook and gave it to the man at the piano. He gave a surprised, almost cold glimpse of it, but eventually gave a small smile and nodded. “Could you stand right here, I’ll follow along with you. Take your time.”

Cole eagerly nodded, giving the guy a minute to look over the music before he started to play. It was a little scary for Hank, because it starts on a higher note, but it’s thankfully also not a long song. He does rather wonderfully, and earns himself a nice hefty applause, and Hank gets a little teary with pride until-   
  
“All right, and now for Hank. His father, I presume?” The pianist asked.

Oh shit. Ok. He could do this. If  _ Cole _ could do this, he can handle it, right? 

The sandy-haired child of his stole a spot in the front row to watch, and Hank wasn’t sure if that was helpful or made it worse. Usually he would be thrilled to embarrass his kid, but not like this!   
  


Deep blue songbook in hand with his form, he flipped through to the song he had picked, meeting the judging glare of the pianist. “From the beginning? Or somewhere else?"   
  
Hank gulped, “Oh uhhh-" It had been a while since he had even heard the song, so he awkwardly took the book and turned a few pages in.

Fuck. He was going to start on a higher note too. The accompanist played it for him, and he hummed in to himself softly to prepare. Ok, he could do this.

"I'll play the first chord, start when you're ready."

Exhale. Inhale. He gave a nod.

_ "No beauty could move me, no goodness improve me…" _

All things considered, he was impressed he still knew all the words to "If I Can't Love Her" from Beauty and the Beast. His voice wavered a little from nerves, and frankly, lack of practice on a higher register. But it came back to him almost naturally, and only once he was singing the last lines did he look from his son in the front row to the open-mouthed younger man across the room.

_ "If I can't love her, than who?" _

He didn't even notice the clapping as his face burned and he tilted to Cole for them to go back to their original seats.

With the hard part over,  _ Thank God _ , now they just had the scene reading and dancing. The assistant director, a short, blond man asked for all the kids to follow him into the hallway to do some of the munchkin lines and learn a few bars of dancing. 

The accompanist then consulted with the director, and they started to hand out some script excerpts.

Hank got two packets: one highlighted for The Wizard, and one for The Cowardly Lion.

"Hey, uhh… I'm just here for my kid, and-"

The tall brother, Niles, who looked almost like he could be Connor's twin, refused to take the packets back. "The director insisted."

The first round went fine, he just got to sit off to the side and read lines in his booming, low voice. It felt kinda good, actually. Kara did a pretty good job as Dorothy, he was kinda rooting for her despite her limited singing.

A few other scenes went by, and then he was called up for the Lion. "Really ham it up," Markus told him.

Well, they asked for it.

He gave his best growl, trying to do his best following the stage directions with the paper in his hands. 

"Pullin' an axe on me, huh?" He said right in Connor's face, and he admitted it was rather flattering how legitimately flustered he was, but maybe he was just that good? "Sneakin' up on me? Why-"

"Here here," Connor read as the Tin Man, doing his best full-body shaking to mimic the movie. "See here, go away and leave us alone!"

The rest of it went fairly well, especially when North came up to him and pretended to slap at him. Even the director chuckled when he gave his best over-dramatic fit of sobbing.

But wow, was he exhausted by the end of it, and found Cole had gotten back, grinning ear to ear.

"Daaaaaaaaad," he said in a stage whisper. "That was so goooood!"

"Heh," he smirked, bumping his shoulder into Cole's. "Still got it, huh?"

The dancing went fine, and when they were done, everyone was thanked and dismissed. They waved at some of the other families, all filing out, but Hank lingered behind a little to find Connor.

He was at the piano with his brother, and approached slowly so as not to disrupt their conversation. 

"Ah, hello!" Connor smiled at him. "You did very well, for someone who wasn't prepared to, well, do all that."

"Thanks, I just- I wanted to thank you again for the sheet music. Haven't sung that in ages, let alone in front of people."

"Well, you were…” Connor swallowed, “You were marvelous." 

"You too," Hank nodded, scratching his hair for a moment.

There was an odd pause, until Connor's brother cleared his throat. "Cole also did a fantastic job," he said, causing the kid to giggle. "Better than the film, I would say," he gave a smile, almost sly in how it quirked up. "If you will kindly excuse us, we have rehearsal for our show next weekend."

"Oh," Hank watches the cold-eyed brother pack up his binders. He turns back to Connor, "Could we come see it?"

"It may not be, uhhh…" He blinks at Cole. "It's a musical revue for a charity event. But they are serving alcohol, so it's adults only."

Hank nodded in slight disappointment, "Ahhh, well, break a leg? Hopefully we will see you in a couple weeks for this show."

"I imagine we will. C’mon Connor."

The shorter brother lingered for just a moment, waving as he followed Niles toward the table where Markus was discussing what seemed to be some business.

"We may need to hold callbacks, you guys. We got so many more people than we usually do," Simon pointed out. "What do you think, Niles?"

He nodded, "Yes, I would like to narrow it down before we make a final decision. Maybe ask them to prepare certain songs?"

"I agree," Markus said, skimming through his notes. "At least we will have enough kids, I was worried about that." He smiled, turning to Connor. "You've been practicing that song for this, haven't you?"

He shrugged, "I have been meaning to add it to my repertoire anyway."

The director hummed in thought, "Dorothy will be a bit harder to choose, I think."

North rolled her eyes, but smiled, "Hey, I'm willing to wear green makeup if I have to."

"Don't count yourself out so fast," Josh nudged her. 

"All right, well, everyone go grab a bite to eat, and we'll meet back here to run through the songs for this weekend." 

Niles noticed his brother watching the front door as the last few people left, including the tall, silver bear and his… cub. 

He sat down at the piano, mulling over his binders of sheet music while Connor unpacked their lunch. Notes were calmly plucked on the piano as he picked his brother’s brain.

"You did well today," Niles commented with a hint of sarcasm, but got no reply. "Something on your mind?"

"Hm?"

He struck a chord harshly. "Connor, please. Are you here or up in the clouds?"

"Yes, I can hear you just fine!" Connor huffs, "Will you come over here and eat your sandwich?"

Standing from the bench, Niles joined him at a pair of seats and took up his PBJ. "He doesn't seem too bad," he said, and Connor looked up from the lyric sheet in his hand. "Markus intends to cast him as the Lion."

"R-really?"

"Mmmhm."

Connor let a smile flit across his lips, "He may not accept, though, I think he should."

Blue eyes strained upwards, as if Niles was prepared to regret his next choice of words. "I would also like him to accept. However, he may need some convincing."

"Uhhh," Connor furrowed his brows. "And how do you intend to do that?"

"Oh, not  _ me _ ," he chuckles, "I want you to convince him at the cabaret next week.

"What???"

  
  


\---------

  
  
  


"Daaaaaaaad… phone for youuuuu!" 

They were back to their regular week, like the time off never even happened. Cole was a little too comfortable with the flexibility of getting driven to school, often taking his time getting dressed and eating his sugary cereal.

Now it was already Wednesday, Hank's job was having a rocky start, but having the afternoons with his kid again was something he would never take for granted again. Despite being father and son, Cole was still his best friend.

"Lemme turn off the stove," he said, setting out the other tableware. But the kid shoved the phone in his face and giggled as he ran off. "Anderson residence, Hank speaking."

"Uhh, hello, Mr. Anderson? It's Connor, from Jericho?" 

He had to hold the phone away from his mouth as he gulped for air. "Hey, Connor. What's uhh… any news on casting?"

"Well, I am happy to say that Cole has been asked to play two ensemble roles. As a munchkin, with a few lines, but also as a flying monkey."

Hank's face brightened as he looked over toward the living room, where his kid was laying across a napping Sumo while he watched cartoons. "That's… that's really great." 

"And, about you?"

He chuckled, "No no, don't tell me. I'm playing Glinda?"

On the other end, he heard Connor choke off a giggle. "As much as I was to personally see you a fluffy, pink dress… we need you for a callback this weekend. For the Lion."

"Really?" Hank said breathlessly, sitting down at his seat. "Wow, I… okay."

"I have your email, I will send you some things to prepare for Saturday, and-"

Hank could feel his heart race a little; was it from the excitement, or nerves? Or maybe it was from… Connor?

"You are welcome to bring Cole if you need to, of course, and-"

"Oh!" Hank exclaimed, "So, Cole is sleeping over at his friend's house on Saturday."

Connor was silent for a moment, "Oh! That makes things less complicated, then.”

He listened to Connor explain the callbacks a bit longer, his mind wandering, before he asked suddenly "Say, uhh… are there any tickets left for that concert thing?"

Another pause on the other end, "I'll send you the details for that, too.”

The sound of water boiling over caught Hank's attention, "Dangit, I gotta go. Thank you, Connor. Really I- this means a lot to me."

"Good! I mean, it’s very good to hear, you know. We put the shows on for the community, but, really it's all for the performers. A lot of us need that kind of chance to escape."

"Yeah," he agreed quietly while he handled the pot of pasta with a glove. "Let's chat more on Saturday, yeah?"

Wait. Did he really just  _ say that?! _

"I would really like that. Have a good night," and with a click, the line was dead.

Hank shook his head, straining the pasta, and then dumping it into the simmering pot of sauce.

"Soooo what was that about?" Cole asked, and Hank jumped because he was suddenly at the kitchen table. 

"Oh, just that my son got, not one-" he turned on his heels. "But  _ two _ roles in the show."

"Really?!"

"Your pop is just going to have to settle for one, but he has to go audition again. First time wasn't good enough.”

Cole rolled his eyes, "Daaaaadd!"

Mixing the pasta around, he sighed with fake disappointment. "Shame I won't have my lucky charm there to cheer me on."

The kid giggled as dinner was served at his spot, and then Hank served himself. "But if anything happens over at the birthday party, you call me and I'll come get you."

"I'll be fine!" Cole insisted as he shoved a rigatoni noodle in his mouth.

"I hope so."

  
  


\-------------

  
  


Saturday rolled around, and Hank's homebody tendencies were making him a bit hesitant about the day ahead. Drop off Cole, callback, and then go to that charity concert thing. He could only have one drink later, in case Cole needed him, but it would be well worth the small ticket price. 

He gave Cole an extra hug and a kiss when they pulled up to his friend’s house, told him to have fun, and slipped his emergency cell phone in his bag. 

The whole drive to the theater, he sang his audition song, experimenting with different inflections so he didn't sound too much like the original version (but still silly enough). When he pulled up, he could hear the piano all the way from the parking lot as some people had already begun.

He walked in, quietly finding Connor and sitting a couple seats away from him as North sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”. Dang, she was good.

Briefly, he met eyes with Markus, who gave him a smile and a nod. 

The song ended sweetly, and Hank steeled himself as she sat beside him. 

"All right Connor, you're up," Simon announced, and Hank gave the young man a thumbs up when their eyes met.

As Niles set up, he leaned over to North, "Hey, great job with that."

She smiled, lightly punching his shoulder. "Thanks," she squinted. "Hank, right? Not bad yourself, last week."

"Hmm… we will see about that."

The opening notes started, and they instantly hushed as Connor started "If I Only Had a Heart". Hank didn't even notice he was smiling like a dork until Niles jumped in with the "Wherefore art thou, Romeo?" bit, and Connor flashed those big doe eyes his way. He leaned back, a little flustered, and felt North lean in to whisper something to him.

"Just wait 'till tonight," she teased.

If he could even  _ make _ it that long. 

He went up next, with Lion's short rendition of the same melody. The scene readings and the light dancing parts seemed like a blur, the whole time he was so focused on trying to do the best he could. But, he could feel everyone’s eyes on him the whole time. So when Markus dismissed them, he took a seat to pack up his stuff and tried to relax his nerves. He leaned forward, his stomach making a fuss about the whole ordeal, resting his head on his hands. 

"Are you all right?" A familiar voice asked from beside him, a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm good," he sat up. "Just a little exhausted, and… yeah." Connor lifted Hank's water bottle from the floor, holding it up for him to take. "Thanks."

"You did very well, if that helps," he smiled shyly. "Are you really coming tonight?"

Hank nodded, "Of course, yeah." He took another gulp of water, "Might have to give someone my extra drink ticket, though. I gotta be on call in case Cole needs me."

"I'll take it!" North popped in, as if she had heard her name called.

"Only after your song," Connor warned her. "You are welcome to sit with us, if you want. We get our own couple of tables by the stage," he offered. 

And really... how could Hank refuse?

The hall of some community center had been set up to look vaguely like a jazz club. Dark red tablecloths, candles on each table, and a small stage for the singers.

"It'll be mostly showtunes, and a few jazz standards," Markus explained as he led Hank to their tables.

"Hey, it looks pretty good," Josh commented. "Sure beats that show in the park last year that got rained out."

Simon came to the table with a roll of drink tickets, "My brother managed to get us extra drinks." He handed them to Markus, "Hide these from North until after she performs."

"So…" Markus scooted his chair closer to where Hank sat down. "I deduced from your form that you're a cop."

"Yeah, well- kinda? I'm an administrator now, but I was on homicide and narcotics for a while." 

Markus's eyebrows shot up his forehead, "Woah," he leaned back. He listened as Hank explained the change of position inspired him to get Cole to audition over a round of beer. He left out everything about how the divorce was involved in all that; he really didn't like talking about it. 

The audience started to file in, and soon the performers came in a large group through one of the side doors to avoid the crowd. Connor sat just beside Hank, and he immediately noticed the brunet curls were now held with gel. More than that, his previous attire of loose jeans and a t-shirt was replaced with slacks, a white button down, and a slimming waistcoat with a bright blue pocket square.

"Hey…" Hank smiled, hoping the single word and his eyes would hold all that he wanted to say about the handsome man. 

Connor smiled back, turning his face down in a way that gave Hank a perfect view of one of his dimples. "Hi, Hank."

Some cheese and cracker platters were set out, and an announcement was made for the mingling stragglers to find their seats. In lieu of a piano, an electric keyboard was set up just beside the stage, where Niles nodded for North to go first, her song was some belting solo that Hank hardly knew.

She was pretty great, and Hank enjoyed her expressive features as she sang until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

_ Thank you for coming tonight :) _

The note was scribbled on the blank back of the program, which Hank hadn't even looked through yet. God, what was this, middle school? But something about it was so sweet; the messy handwriting from the room's dim light, the respect of not talking during a performance. Hank glanced at Connor, taking the pen sitting, waiting for him.

_ Glad to be here, thanks for the invite. _

As he finished writing, he turned to see Connor glancing down, giving a nod as he took the pen back. 

Lightning struck outside, and just faintly the sound of rainfall upon the windows set a calming ambience in the hall.

_ I'm a little nervous _

Hank quirked his brow, so Connor continued writing. 

_ I want to do well _

With two fingers, Hank requested the pen back, scratching out a reply.

_ All you can do is your best. You will be great! _

With a relieving exhale, Connor nodded, and mouthed a humble  _ "thank you _ " as North's song ended.

The two of them continued to exchange little glances, the occasional brush of a shoulder, they even reached for the same glass of water at one point. 

A little over halfway through the program, Hank found himself caught up in the performances, and didn't even notice that Connor had gotten up until he walked up onto the stage. 

Something changed in his demeanor under the warm spotlight, and Hank realized he wasn't wearing his glasses. Had he been before? He barely had a moment to think about it before Connor was already singing.

And Hank… Hank was under his spell. 

_ "All through the night, I delight in your love-" _

The melody slowed downwards, spiking back up delicately as if just to catch Hank's attention. Cole Porter was a good choice for something like this; easy and sweet, recognizable, but beautifully sentimental. 

Connor spread his gaze through the room, which Hank didn't mind too much. He was wonderful to watch perform, holding the microphone like an old crooner. 

The room seemed to transform; the stage in a sea of nothing, the sun shining just on that kind face. It had been long since Hank felt like this, and as nice as it was, it scared him. 

And then Connor locked his eyes on him, his smile falling slightly. Every little movement seemed to purposeful, so intent, so intimate even from a distance.

Hank’s chest began pounding, and he got up from his seat as the song slowed with the ritardando. 

_ "Staying close to you… all through the night." _

Out the double doors to the lobby, he had nearly made it to the front entrance when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Hank?"

He kept moving, faster, down the steps to the gravel lot of cars. Rain lightly battered down on the metal roofs, and he hoped it would drown out the sound of being followed.

Damn car without remote locks. Soaking, he stood by his car as he fiddled with his keys, when an equally drenched Connor came up beside him.

"Please, what did I do?" 

"Go back inside," Hank's voice cracked, still looking for the car key.

Somehow, Connor managed to squeeze himself between Hank and the driver's side door. "If I misunderstood, then tell me." He demanded softly, and Hank saw how much he was shivering in the cold rain, droplets streaming down his face. 

"I don't- I  _ can’t  _ do this." He pushes his damp, matted hair out of his face, "I just went through a divorce. A nasty one, and I don't want you to just be some rebound." Something softens in Connor's face when he says so, "You deserve better than that." 

He leans forward, letting himself hug Connor closely despite both of them dripping with rainwater. Lanky arms wrapped around him back, and God, he could melt into this feeling. It had been months since his wife, or anyone taller than four feet, had hugged him with such fervency. Guilt pooled in his chest like the puddle he was standing in.

"I… I can wait," Connor said in his ear. "I'm sorry if I was coming on too strong or something-”

"No," Hank pulled away, cupping Connor's sweet face. Fuck, the kid was on the verge of tears judging by the redness around his eyes. "I would have pushed you away already if I didn't want it," he admitted as he tried a smile. 

He heard Connor hum, and his body shivered in Hank's arms. 

"Shit… hey, do you need to go back on for anything? Like your phone or whatever?"

Connor shook his head, understanding what Hank was implying. "No, but I should message Niles so he isn't worried."

They look out into the rainy night, then to each other, tenderly moving apart and moving in tandem to get into Hank's old car.

It was a mostly uneventful, quiet night. Connor ended up sleeping on Hank's couch after a hot shower and some dinner together, curled up with Sumo in borrowed clothes. They didn't act upon their now-known feelings, like it was some innocent thing they couldn't touch. 

Connor certainly got an earful from his brother after his disappearance from the show, just explaining that it was a sensitive situation… but the butterflies in his stomach never settled. 

Not even at the first rehearsal for the show.

  
  


It was a simple script reading, just going through the various scenes and songs. Josh and Simon were up on the stage the whole time, debating where set pieces should go.

North landed Dorothy, Kara was given the Wicked Witch of the West (both decisions Hank thought were rather ironic), some guy named Rupert as the Scarecrow, and on and on. About a dozen kids were split between munchkins and other various roles, and Cole was given his own little solo as the Munchkin Coroner. 

The weeks rolled on through the end of spring, and tech week was scheduled just in time for the end of the school year. While Cole had his rehearsals, Hank would help paint sets with some of the others, learning little pieces about his cast members... especially Connor.

Along with his brother, Connor worked as an event-planner for a large, local non-profit. Something to do with education, but Hank couldn’t quite remember those details. It was hard, but they each loved it.

And then, three weeks before the show… Rupert stopped coming to rehearsals. The first two went fine, but after the third it was clear something was wrong.

"Now… I don't want anyone to worry, but we have to re-cast the Scarecrow," Simon addressed, a little sadly. "Work had become too overwhelming in addition to rehearsals for Rupert, so we are looking for someone to fill the role."

From the side of the room, Niles sighed and raised his hand. "I may have a brainless idiot available to learn the role," he said. 

The next rehearsal was exciting, to say the least. 

  
  


"Anderson?!" 

Hank blinked, doing a double-take, "Reed? What are you doing here?"

Looking over to Niles, Gavin wordlessly pointed to his superior, mouth dropping open a little wider. "Huh?"

Niles frowned, "Do you know Hank?"

" _ Know _ him? Fuck… I had just started when he made Lieutenant and the squirt was born!"

"Uncle Gavvy!" Cole called over, rushed over to tackle Reed with the strongest hug a 9 year old could give. 

"What, did your old man drag you into this?" Gavin teased Cole, fluffing his hair. 

Cole stuck out his tongue, "Mleeeehhhhhh!"

"Gavvy?" Smirking, Niles teased his boyfriend. "You have a lot to catch up on, Scarecrow. Let's get to work."

\--

  
  


A little over a week before the show… the costumes came in.

Connor helped Simon unload them from his van, straight from the costume rental facility. His heart skipped a beat when he lifted the golden-colored mass of fluff that was the Lion costume. It was going to look wonderful on Hank…

Just beside it was his own silvery suit, edges and crevices dark with painted weathering. 

"All right," Markus called out to the cast, "Go ahead and get changed in the dressing rooms, and in a bit we will have everyone come out in the order for curtain call. For those of you with multiple roles, start with your first costume."

As if just to torture them, Hank and Connor were assigned to the same dressing room. It was a decent size, just big enough for Connor to help Hank get in and out of his large costume. They were also instructed on how to do their makeup, although, Connor offered to handle it when Hank seemed hesitant to cake on the layers of theatrical foundation.

As tech week seemed to smash into them like a freight train, emotions were running on high all over.

Niles was desperately trying to help Gavin catch up to the rest of the cast, some of the costumes had to be altered and even exchanged out for completely different sizes.

And Connor, well… Connor was starting to get antsy.

So many things were going through his head that week. For starters, their boss from the non-profit company, Amanda, was coming to the show on opening night. The woman was kind, but this kind of thing wasn't really her scene. She was a garden shows, gallery openings, and orchestra concerts-kind of person; this would be very childish to her, he figured.

For another thing, Niles had become insatiably disgruntled at home. Because of the show, Gavin was working a lot to make up the hours, which meant less time for them to spend outside of rehearsal. 

"It'll be over soon," Connor assured his brother.

But for him, that meant less time to see Hank. 

Even after their quiet, mutual understanding on that rainy night, Connor still longed to get closer. Being good friends was wonderful, and it was certainly welcoming to have a friend who didn't incessantly tease him like most of the Jericho troupe. But after the four performances over the weekend, it would be over. Who knew if Hank would even be able to come back if Cole couldn't be in the show? They didn’t often do shows with kids.

On top of that, Cole was a cheery ray of sunshine, and Connor had loved getting to know him in little pieces, helping him feel comfortable on stage and encouraging him to work on homework when Hank was rehearsing. And Cole always asked about how his day was, and why he looked kinda sad during tech week. 

He would smile, and pass it off casually. Even though inside he was losing it.

His damn heart wanted Hank so badly, waiting be damned.

Thursday night, the night before the show opened, they did a music-only rehearsal. No costumes, no scripts, barely even up on stage. Just running through the songs in preparation for opening night.

And on this day in particular, Hank seemed a little grumpy.

Connor was in the dressing room, steaming both of their costumes and cleaning up a little when Hank came in with his songbook. The door was slammed shut behind him, making Connor jump. He leaned his head against a propped arm, mulling over the lyrics like he was studying for an exam. 

After a tense few minutes, it was hurled across the room. Connor turned, concern dripping across his face.

"Can I help?"

Hank glared at the book from his chair, leaning back unsafely. "Nah."

Afraid to pry, Connor bent down into his bag and offered Hank an emergency snack bar. "If you need me to, I'm here to listen."

Looking up, Hank sighed, and motioned for Connor to sit down.

"My ex wants to come see the show. She wants to see Cole perform." 

"Oh," Connor murmured, gently resting his hands over Hank's clenched pair of paws. "I could ask Markus if-"

"No, it's her kid too or whatever. I'm just-" He looked down at their hands. "She lied to me in a bad way, in a way that makes me fuckin' wonder what else she lied about."

Simply nodding, Connor rubbed his fingers along Hank's knuckles.

"I can't avoid her forever, 'cuz of Cole, but I'm afraid to confront her.”

He squeezed Hank's hands, "I'll be there with you, if you want." Blue eyes looked up at him, "I don't even need to be there next to you, but I can stay within earshot, and you can grab me if you need the support."

"She is coming to the Saturday matinee, I know you have to help with resetting the stage but-"

"It can wait," Connor scooted closer, insisting. "Of course it can wait."

Like all those weeks ago, he felt a rough palm come up to his cheek. "That means more than I can say, Con."

Connor's lips twitched with a crooked, soft smile. "Of course… anytime."

  
  


\----

_ Opening night _

After school let out, Hank picked up Cole so they could both go home and shower, eat, prepare for the long evening. Hank had left a message unread on his phone, but he already knew it was from his ex-wife and her mom that her flight had landed, and they had their seats for tomorrow. He didn't like it, not one bit. 

When he eventually did read it, while waiting for Cole to get changed, he was asked to keep her attendance a secret. 

It was aggravating, but he agreed.

There was some relief when they showed up just before the call time, and Cole excitedly joined the other kids in their classroom-turned- dressing room. All of them wore black t-shirts and slacks to help with easy costume changes. 

And of course, when he got to his dressing room, Connor was already there getting things sorted. He gave Hank a careful smile, "This is it," he said. 

"Yeah, it's really flown by," Hank placed his bag in the corner of the counter and shocked off his jacket. "The kids are going out for dinner after tonight, right?"

Connor nodded, "Kara, Luther, and a few other parents got them a private room at that restaurant down the street. Some of the adults talked about going out, too, but I think I'll be too exhausted."

With a chuckle, Hank agreed, "And call time is 11am tomorrow, some of us are going to need our beauty sleep for tomorrow."

Since they started the show dressed as farmhands, they donned their denim and flannel first, helping Josh and Simon double check all the tech, the props, straighten out the chairs. Hank checked up on the kids, only for them to start growling at him until he 'roared' back at them, running into Kara in the process. 

She gave him a smile, accentuating the aging makeup for Gulch. "You do that quite well," she complimented. "I actually came to ask you, Alice asked if Cole could sleep over tonight, but he didn't ask you about it yet. Will that be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah of course. I know he'll make it here in time tomorrow, at least," he winked. 

"You can be sure of that! It makes me so happy to see all of them get along," they started walking down the hall toward the starting rooms. "Alice is a little shy… to see her open up like this is so wonderful. You must feel the same about Cole?"

"Yeah. I mean, he isn't a shy kid, but this is a lot of new experiences for him. Since his mother and I divorced it's been… tough."

She lent a comforting hand on his arm, "Alice mentioned that when she was talking about Cole. Are you two doing ok?"

Well, Hank  _ wanted _ to say that it had been some of the hardest months of his life. That he was terrified, and relieved, and worried about how it would affect his son every day for the rest of his life. 

"We're hanging in there. We have each other, and that helps. I know he misses his mom, but he has been pretty understanding. She messages him regularly from Europe, and… and she is coming tomorrow," he blurted out. Eyes wide, he specified in a bit of panic. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't pass that around. It's a surprise, and-"

"It's okay," Kara nodded, entering her dressing room. "Not a word, I promise."

"Thanks," he waved her off, and returned to his and Connor's dressing room to wait for their cue.

It was a rush, in more ways than one, running backstage after the opening scene to unbutton the shirts and shove off their jeans, changing into their main costumes. And after costumes, came makeup. 

Connor helped Hank get his foundation started, letting him handle his whiskers and snout details. Meanwhile, he was frantically dabbing on the silver face paint, covering even up to his ears and down his neck. Using an eyeliner pencil, he drew the seams of the metal plates and bolts down either side of his face, following the curve of his cheekbones. 

“How’s it look?” Hank asked, turning to him to show off his handiwork. His nose was dark, and lines drawn over his cheeks, and a yellow pigment in his beard to match the mane of his headpiece.

Giving him a wry smirk, Connor nodded, “ _ Oh my _ , indeed.” 

In the small speaker in the dressing room, Gavin began singing his number, so Connor secured his funnel hat and got his axe from the shelf by the costume rack. “See you on the other side,” he said to Hank, watching the man fumble to stand and see him off.   
  
“Break a leg,” Hank wished him, giving the gloved hand a squeeze, and watching him disappear toward the backstage area.

The audience was packed, but oddly quiet except for applause between scenes. It was good for an opening night, it meant they were attentive and listening, but it still worried Connor how quiet they were during the funnier parts. Even his boss’s face, which he could just make out through the stage lights, was serious all through his song.

They breezed through the first act, escaping backstage for intermission to cool off and drink some water. Especially for him and Hank, their costumes were incredibly insulating, so they spent the short twenty minutes in just their underclothes as they touched up makeup and cooled off. 

“Damn…” Hank breathed as Connor undid the velcro strips in the back of his costume. “Next time, I want to play a human. This costume is  _ torture _ ,” he complained, and groaned in relief as the headpiece came off.

Stunned, Connor looked at him through the mirror, “Next time?”

“Uhh,” Hank uttered, realizing he had trapped himself. “Well, yeah? You guys are doing ‘Company’ next, right?” 

Connor hadn’t actually paid attention to what they had decided, he missed the last meeting when they voted.

“Always wanted to do that one. Maybe a smaller role, though,” he admitted, and then noticed that Connor was staying fairly quiet. “Is that- is that okay?”

“Oh, yes of course!” He shook himself out of his thoughts. “Sorry, I just… didn’t want to assume you’d come back. I’m really glad you want to, though.”

Hank stretched out his arms, and scratched at his neck that was damp with sweat. “I could use something to do outside of work, especially if Cole decides to take on a sport or something in the fall.” 

“That’s really great,” Connor replied warmly. “You deserve it for yourself,” he said, rubbing his hands a little nervously. “Hey, Hank?”   
  
“Hm?”

Hesitantly, Connor stepped in a little closer, the makeup hiding the burning blush on his cheeks. “I wanted to ask if… well if you still…” He breathed in deeply, his chest pounding hard beneath his ribs. “I-I don’t want to rush you, or, make things tough but-” Those baby blues sent an aching pang through his chest, and Hank spoke up before he had a chance to finish his thoughts.

“Let’s talk after the show, okay?”

Over the speaker, the five minute warning was given, and Hank got up to put his costume back on. “Well, let’s hope the second act goes just as smoothly as the first.”   
  


Getting into his own suit, Connor agreed with a wobbly smile. “On we go!”

The second act went as smooth as butter, and all the while the two of them exchanged little glances, knowing smiles. Connor hated getting his hopes up like this. But, the way Hank looked at him, smiled his way with a bit of pride when he was given the heart-shaped clock from Markus’s adoptive father who was playing The Wizard… he was smiling the rest of the show, even through the curtain call.

As the house lights came up, Hank was speedily pulled away by Cole to say hello to his classmates who came, and he wandered out into the audience to find Amanda. Niles, of course, had beaten him to it.

“I’m so glad you enjoyed the performance, Miss Stern,” his brother said, bowing a little.

As Connor approached them, he removed his hat and regarded her with a small nod. “Hello, Amanda.”

“Connor,” she said, breaking her usual, professional demeanor as she looked him over with a smile. “My goodness, even under all that makeup I could tell it was you. It was a fantastic show, and you seemed to be enjoying every moment of it.”

It was a gentle tease, but it still left him a little sheepish. “Thank you for coming out on a Friday night for it, a lot of hard work went into it.”

“That tall fellow who played the Lion,” she said, striking a bit of fear into him. “He seems occupied at the moment, but please pass along my compliments. I read his bio in the program, it’s hard to believe he hasn’t done this in so many years.”

“I will be sure to do that, ma’am.”

She collected her jacket, “Since both of you are off on Monday, I’ll see you bright and early Tuesday morning. Have a lovely weekend, boys.”

“You as well,” Niles said as they waved her off. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered, “She noticed right away that Gavin wasn’t as prepared as the rest of the cast. I hope we never have to do that kind of substitution again.”

“Me too,” Connor said, before his name was called across the room.    
  
“Connor, come take a picture with us!” Cole said from the other end of the room. He weaved through the crowd, joining Hank, Cole, and a bunch of other little 5th graders making room for him in a group photo. A few moms took pictures, then asked for the adults to swamp out so they could get the other kids who were in the show. He stood beside Hank as they watched all of them make silly faces, all smiling and giggling in excitement. 

“I’m so glad they are going out afterwards,” Hank commented. “Some of them have too much energy for 10pm.”

Humming, Connor nudged at his shoulder. “It’ll be quite a challenge to get Cole into bed tonight.”

“Oh he’s-” Hank smirked. “He’s sleeping over at Alice’s- er, Kara and Luther’s house, tonight,” he said, before leaning over to say something into Connor’s ear. “So I’m actually free tonight.”

Before Connor could say anything to that, Kara had already begun rounding up the kids to bring them to dinner, and Cole excitedly gave a quick goodbye before following the train of youngsters out of the theater as other audience members filed out.

“So,” Hank turned, “Shall we go to our dressing room?”   
  
They walked back up onstage, disappearing into the dark wings and down the hall to their dressing room. Connor felt shaky and unsure, almost too aware of his own desperate, aching need.

He was nearly shoved into the room by Hank, who promptly locked the door and cornered him against the wall into a blistering kiss. Using his entire body weight, he pressed himself closely to Connor, lips worshipping lips with no regard for the smudging of their face makeup.   
  
Hank trailed his mouth away, breathing hard as he went for Connor’s neck while he tugged at the costume, “I think I finally found my courage.”

At that, Connor whimpered, legs shaking like a newborn deer and panting as Hank’s beard tickled his sensitive skin. “Ahhh-” He was still so shocked by the sudden intimacy, Connor had to fight through the lustful fog of his brain to form words. “We should… take off… our costumes,” he whimpered out between kisses. 

Big hands started to peel away the stiff fabric of his tin man costume, which was nearly a size or two too big for him anyway. “Fuck!” Hank swore, unable to resist kissing down to his collarbone after working off the grey undershirt. Connor managed to get him to spin around, undoing the Lion costume, both of them removing their outfits into a pile on the floor so they could continue what they were doing.   
  
Their lips met again, hot and odd-tasting from the makeup, until there was a pounding on the door.

“Hey, we’re headed to the bar. Are you two coming?” Thankfully it was North, and she made no mention to them of the possibly scandalous sounds coming from their room.   
  
“Go ahead,” Connor called out, hiding the shake in the voice as best he could. “See you tomorrow!”

There was a pause, and they stayed as still as possible while still panting heavy breaths. “All right, see ya tomorrow!”

The interruption gave them a moment to properly look at each other, giggling from the hilariously smeared makeup on their chins. “We should take this off and head out, huh?” Hank said softly, forehead touching Connor’s.

“That we should,” the brunet replied, kissing the tip of Hank’s nose.

They could hardly keep their hands to themselves as they got dressed and snuck out the emergency exit door backstage to Hank's car. Both wearing pants that suddenly felt too tight, and the whole drive they had the windows open and were singing along with the "Anything Goes" revival album that was in the car stereo.

Connor had been over before, but only the one time, so when Hank told him he had to let Sumo out and to "meet him in the bedroom", the young man knew exactly where to go.

The bedroom was a wreck, but it all smelled like  _ Hank _ , and Connor let himself flop on top of the wadded-up comforter and inhale, long and slow. 

There were little things he learned just by looking around too; the wild, printed button-downs he had seen the man wear were a staple in his wardrobe and were all hung up in the closet, a photo sat on the nightstand of the man in his police dress blues, holding a bitty baby with a happy, nervous look. 

He was startled when the door finally opened, and he was regarded with a soft smile as Hank threw his jacket on the floor by Connor's.

While that first kiss in the dressing room had been desperate and rushed, this time Hank climbed over Connor with the intention of slowly unraveling him. Connor had his hands palms-up on either side of his head, and Hank entwined their fingers together to further press him down into the bed. 

"Mmmm…" Connor hummed, a thought striking his curiosity as Hank kissed him so lovingly. "What changed?" The kisses slowed, as if Hank was showing that he was listening. "I know you said you needed time, but I'm curious what did it?"

Leaning up, Hank began undoing his shirt. "On the stage tonight… I realized just how much happier I am because of you." 

Connor watched in wonder as his torso was revealed. Not that he hadn't peaked at it briefly in the changing room, but now he had a front seat to take in all the details. A tattoo on his chest, some scars that must have been from being a cop, it was all magnificent.

"You are the one who convinced me to audition myself," Hank said, smiling. He started working on Connor's shirt as the man laid prone beneath before Connor could slow him down. "You are so kind with Cole, respected when I said I needed time, and-" 

“Hank, wait, I should-”

Connor had always worn a thin undershirt when they were changing, so when Hank took it off, it was only then that he noticed a scar on Connor’s left breast.

“What is… are you okay?”

Shakily, Connor took Hank’s right hand in his, and placed it over his thudding heart, completely covering the scar. “There are more than a few reasons why I specifically wanted to play the Tin Man,” he admitted, and let Hank’s fingers tenderly press around the faint edges of a small device under his skin. “My ‘ticker’ doesn’t ‘tick’ to a steady rhythm.” 

“Holy shit, Con.”

Connor shook his head, keeping a warm smile to reassure the other. “I’ve had this one for a few years, it’s not too bad. It doesn’t hurt, and-” With his own right hand, he reached up to Hank’s face, threading his fingers through the coarse, salt-and-pepper beard. “I can still do this, you won’t hurt me.”

“Okay,” Hank collected himself slowly, bending down to kiss Connor again, letting his hand gently rub his hand into the soft skin near Connor’s shoulder. “As long as you’re okay…?”

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” Connor kissed him back, exploring with his hands to comb Hank’s hair. “I wanted to tell you before, but I was so nervous about how you’d react.” He was given a curious look as Hank pulled away to get a read on his face. “Some previous partners were scared of it, so I don’t really tell people that much anymore.”

A rumble came from Hank’s chest, humming thoughtfully as he lifted himself off of Connor with just a knee between his legs. “Then they didn’t deserve that heart of yours,” he assured, and Connor let him fiddle with the clasp and zipper of the tight, dark wash jeans. “Just needs a little bit of help, and don’t we all?”

The words caused a flush of rosy red across Connor’s body, warm with affection as he was stripped languidly. “Hank…” Once his pants were tugged away, Hank got to work on his own, and Connor nearly choked at the view. “Hank!”

The bulge in the man’s boxers was impressive, and Connor silently prayed that Hank had enough lube to help him out. 

The older man seemed suddenly nervous about being so exposed, but it was expelled bit by bit as Connor pulled the naked man on top of him. For a moment, Hank worried about crushing him, but as Connor kissed him he could feel a smile grace the brunet's lips each time he parted for air.

Hank rolled them over onto their sides, legs slotting together, just barely brushing each other's crotches with soft groans. It was calm and gentle like that at first, just getting each other warmed up a little more, comfortably close after so many weeks of longing for contact.

A hand brushed Connor's cock, and he buried his face with a small whimper as his hips jolted into the contact. It was uncontrollable, which Hank found adorable in it's own way, making the man cling to him as if for dear life. 

"Please, oh God please…nnnnnnnn… " he muttered breathlessly, blood rushing downwards enough that his head was spinning. His own hands had taken root in silver locks, but trailed down to even the playing field. But instead of a soft, conferred series of sounds, Hank gasped harshly and his grip tightened. 

It sparked a chain reaction, both of them getting a second wind after the exhaustion of the show, grinding against one another with quivering bodies. 

Connor would have been content doing just that, but a wave of excitement washed over him as Hank grew almost animalistic. He nipped at the soft skin of Connor's neck, sitting up to pull the smaller man so his head rested on the pillows. 

His toes clenched impatiently, stroking himself while Hank retrieved a foil packet and a small squeeze bottle. Connor was in panicked awe of just how large Hank was, it was thrilling but he was shaking with the anticipation of taking something of that size. 

Hank moved to straddle closer to him, and while Connor tried to sit up to show his attention, he was lovingly pushed down as Hank twisted his hips so he was laying on his side. He opened the legs slowly, admiring the view, and Connor's calf rested on his shoulder. 

His legs were parted even wider as Hank leaned closer, fingers slicked with lube as they politely waited to intrude. Face half-buried in the pillow, Connor moaned, pleading, gripping at the sheets as he focused on relaxing the lower muscles. 

Taking the sign, Hank moved slowly, a hand on Connor's tailbone to keep him steady. A delicious wail was muffled by the pillow, and only from the stretch of his entrance. 

Hank whispered, "Good?"

Connor nodded, his fingers combing through his hair before letting the back of his hand shield his eyes. "Mmhmm," he hummed high, almost whining. 

Continuing to massage the tight ring, Hank turned to kiss at the leg that leaned on his shoulder, rhythmically working Connor open until hips started to grind up, and he retracted his fingers. 

Blissful, wide eyes watched as he unwrapped and unrolled the condom over his cock, now eager and impatiently throbbing. When he lined up gently, Connor's mouth dropped open, arms relaxed and bent on either side of his head. 

Hank moved forward, and Connor stretched his legs open a little wider to allow him more room. The head went in, and one of Connor's eyes twinged at the pressure, the almost forgotten feeling of being full.

"God, yes-" he moaned low, just as Hank gave an experiment thrust. It must have been good, because Connor  _ smiled _ , another thrust and his mouth dropped open as his brows drew together.

Hank withdrew just enough to give another squirt of lube right at the entrance, just to ease himself in a little better. 

Long, slow thrusts; lazy waves of that fluttering, tight feeling. It felt good, enough that their bodies sort of took over for a few moments in a bout of effort. Like they were chasing one another, neither managing to keep the pace long term. 

And Connor was getting close. 

He took a moment to breath, slumping a little, enough that Hank decided to regain himself too. Pressing down into his partner, leaving kisses on his clavicle. 

"Almost-" Hank sighs in a weighted pant. "So close, sweetheart."

With a nod, Connor put his last bits of energy into fisting a hand through Hank's beard. All he can manage is to softly say "I'm here, right here."

His arms having more strength than hips, Hank pulls Connor up and against the headboard to support his back. The bed quakes loudly in protest and his bounces Connor on his dick.

Connor takes himself in hand weakly, cum dribbling and then fountains over the top of Hank's pudgy midsection, and right now that doesn't bother him. He climaxes shortly after, eyes unfocused toward the top edge between the wall and ceiling. "Ye-yes, fuck!"

He collapses back, with Connor, and the bed gave a loud metallic 'creak' but refused to break. They both laid there, smiling, rolling in slowly to cuddle.

  
  


\-----------------

“Hey Niles, have you seen Connor?”   
  
Niles looked up at the voice coming from the stage, where North was standing. “No, he said he was staying at Hank’s again.”   
  
She blinked, “What do you mean, ‘again’?” She opened her mouth, looking around before skidding down the ramp with an excited look. “You know… I heard some interesting things from their dressing room last night.”

The pianist merely rolled his eyes, “I would vastly prefer to not talk about my brother’s love life without his permission.”

“So there *is* something going on between them! I knew it,” she leaned against the piano, something akin to Lucy bothering Schroeder. “I saw those two making eyes at each other at the callbacks. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that he fell for a lion, er… a bear.”

Sarcastically, Niles said with a chiding tone, “Oh my.”

“You know, his ex-wife is coming to the matinee.”

  
“Connor doesn’t have an ex-wi- Oh,  _ Hank’s _ ex-wife,” he snickered as North gave him a face. “Well, I guess it’s a little surprise that she would want to see Cole perform.”

“The reservation is for three, and only one is for a senior citizen.”

At this, Niles stopped his practicing and looked over his shoulder. “I know you love gossip, but perhaps it’s none of our business to pry.”

“Maybe not my business, but it is *your* brother who is romancing, or being romanced, by a single dad. May not hurt to do some research.”   
  
Sternly, without a trace of change in his face, Niles replied “No. And if *you* pry, I’ll tell Markus to cast you as ensemble for the next three shows.”   
  
“You wouldn’t!”   
  
He raised an eyebrow, and softly played the theme for the Wicked Witch of the West. “Try me.”

  
  
  


No one seemed to raise any eyebrows when Connor and Hank entered the theater together, and Hank managed to sneak in one more kiss when no one was looking before they parted. 

Hank had some extra spring in his step as he went searching for his kid with Kara, Luther, and Alice. He got a big hug, listened to how much fun Cole had last night. 

Shit. Hank remembered who was coming today. At least it would be the matinee, they would take Cole out for dinner after, and then the rest of the weekend would be smooth sailing. He gave Luther an extra thank you before escaping to the dressing room. 

The door closed with a resonant thud, and he looked at the slight mess of things they had left before rushing out together. It made his face smolder with affectionate warmth, and he set about getting on his base cost of makeup for the beginning scenes. 

He was joined a while later, he had gotten so familiar with the cadence with which Connor walked as he came down the hallway that he didn't turn right away. Instead, he eyed him through the reflection of the large mirror.

"All good?"

Connor shrugged, his shoulders a bit tense, "I got my brother's rendition of the riot act. He worries…" the brunet sank into his chair, and reached for some of the makeup sponges.

"What, I thought he liked me?"

"He does like you, but I think he-" he exhales in frustration. "He worries about baggage. Yours, but also mine." Soulful brown eyes look up to Hank, and he shrinks into his chair. "Would you hate me if I said that I'm scared? About us?"

A gasp was caught in Hank's throat. "No. No, God no." Hank swiveled in his chair, cupping one hand against Connor's face, the other on his shoulder. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, too." 

They fall closer, it's so easy and yet they are both shaking, hearts fluttering. Hank's forehead is just a little warmer than Connor's when they press together, rolling the contact down as they wander their lips in closer for a kiss. It barely lasts, both needing to breath, almost gulping for it. 

"I have more than just heart problems, and I do all I can, but I need you to understand that… I may need to rely on you. Like, if we get more serious. If something ever goes wrong, I-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay… just tell me what you need, and I got you." 

Connor looks at him, not necessarily with suspicion, but a look of 'are you sure'?

"Just tell me what you need, CPR training, some kinda course, if you ever need me to just shut up and listen. You got it," Hank assures, stroking his thumb over the apple of his cheek. "I got some shit of my own, not to mention *a kid*."

Smiling, Connor leans into his touch a little more. "He is a very good kid, you know."

"I think he would like having you around. Have a parent that won't embarrass him so much." With a chuckle, Hank lets his hand slide down the pale neck to the collar of Connor's shirt, settling on his chest. "I would like having you around more, too. You have quite the gift of gentle persuasion."

That smile, that Hank never wants to stop staring at, brightens even further. "That was a little bit of selfishness on my part. Someone *my type*, who can *sing*?" He gently lifted from his seat, climbing onto Hank's lap. "You hit all my weaknesses, Hank."

Hank's arms had fallen away, but came back up to squeeze Connor's butt through his pants. "And how could I say no?"


End file.
